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One step closer to the West: why so many Iranians are heading for Turkey

Denied access to the US or Europe, growing numbers of mostly young people are fleeing the strictures imposed by the mullahs of Tehran, writes Hannah Lucinda Smith in Van

The Turkish city of Van has become a drawcard for Iranians — many of whom have no intention of ever returning homeGetty Images

The Times, January 11 2019, 5:00pm

Behind a white door on the second floor of a rundown shopping centre, many young Iranians have steeled themselves for small acts of bodily rebellion.

“Most of them follow trends on the internet. Symmetrical designs are popular right now,” said the tattooist Mansour Vilayeti, 23; himself an Iranian who joined the growing numbers flocking to the Turkish city of Van, near the border. “Around 40 Iranians come here each month. Over the past two years tattoos have become so popular in Iran.”

Although not specifically prohibited, body art is censured in Iran as a sign of westernised culture and an affront to the mores of Islam. Mr Vilayeti has a ship’s compass shaded on to his left forearm but he wouldn’t dare show it in…

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